The University of Virginia: A Legacy of Excellence and Service

Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia (UVA) stands as a model for modern universities worldwide. For over two centuries, this institution has remained dedicated to addressing contemporary challenges, embodying its core purpose: to serve. As Virginia's flagship institution of higher learning, UVA consistently ranks among the nation's top public universities.

A Commitment to Access and Opportunity

UVA distinguishes itself by offering the best public college financial aid package and the highest graduation rate in the United States. This commitment ensures a life-changing return on investment for students from diverse backgrounds, fostering a meritocracy of talent to shape society.

The Academical Village and Its Evolution

The revolutionary vision of an Academical Village has expanded into 12 schools, each demonstrating leadership in its respective field and attracting world-class talent. This structure fosters innovation and collaboration across disciplines.

Economic Impact and Community Engagement

As the largest employer in the region, the University of Virginia serves as a catalyst for economic growth throughout the Commonwealth, generating an annual economic impact of $5.9 billion. UVA's commitment extends beyond academics, actively contributing to the prosperity and well-being of the surrounding community.

Cultivating Citizen-Leaders

UVA prepares students to become citizen-leaders, guided by empathy, integrity, and a pursuit of truth. The university believes that achieving greatness stems from utilizing one's talents for the benefit of others, striving for excellence and goodness in all endeavors.

Virginia Athletics Foundation: Supporting Excellence in Sports

The Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) plays a crucial role in supporting Virginia Athletics and its 27 sports programs. The VAF staff is dedicated to assisting its members and expresses gratitude for their loyalty and generosity.

Key Personnel and Their Roles

The VAF is led by a team of experienced professionals, each contributing their expertise to advance the Foundation's mission.

Kevin

Kevin oversees all aspects of VAF’s fundraising operation including but not limited to, the annual fund, the endowed scholarship program, fundraising efforts to support the operational needs for the sports programs, suite lease gifts and planned gifts. He will work directly with the VAF board of trustees as the secretary/treasurer of the board. Kevin joins the VAF after spending the past six-plus years as a senior administrator for the University of Georgia and The Georgia Bulldog Club. He was the organization’s senior associate athletic director and deputy executive director the past two plus years. Prior to working at Georgia, Kevin served as the associate athletic director for major gifts and capital campaigns for West Virginia University’s Mountaineer Athletic Club (MAC). Kevin joined the MAC staff in April 2012 as a major gifts officer. Prior to WVU, Kevin spent three years as the assistant athletic director for development at Georgia State and oversaw the annual giving program. Kevin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration-finance in 2005 from West Virginia and his master’s degree in sport management in 2006.

Wissing

In her role she assists the Executive Director in overseeing, planning and executing the vision and mission of the Virginia Athletics Foundation including, but not limited to strategies revolving around fundraising, marketing and communications, events, stewardship, gift processing, fiscal affairs, personnel matters, strategic planning and goal setting, and helping the executive director lead the organization to best support VAF’s values and fundraising objectives. Wissing was instrumental in modernizing the fundraising model for Furman Athletics, launching the Furman Athletics Fund and growing philanthropy for athletics from under $4 million annually to over $19 million annually in a span of six years. Prior to Furman, she served for five years at Kennesaw State in multiple leadership and strategic planning capacities, including fundraising, ticketing, corporate sales, and external relations. A 2010 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest with a B.A.

Rae

In his role as CFO of the Foundation, he will develop and maintain financial practices to support VAF’s mission and goals in support of UVA Athletics. He will report to and support the Executive Director while also working with Foundation Trustees and Athletics to ensure the Foundation’s financial health and sustainability. Rae will supervise and direct financial operations, including responsibility for all budgeting, financial management, accounting, gift oversight, and business intelligence, along with financial reporting and compliance consistent with applicable policies, procedures, rules, and regulations. Rae most recently joined the Virginia athletics department in February of 2023 and served as an Associate Athletics Director. He oversaw the Athletics Business Office, Equipment Rooms, Human Resources, Information Technology, Medical Billing and served as the Sport Administrator for the Men’s Wrestling team. Rae comes to UVA, after spending over three and a half years working in the Towson University athletics department as the Associate Athletics Director for Financial Management/CFO. While at Towson, Rae oversaw the day-to-day operations of the business office and equipment room. He also managed the partnership with Van Wagner for all Sponsorship deals and Fan Summit for ticket sales and operations. Rae served as the IT liaison for Athletics with central campus, coordinated athletics’ licensing efforts with campus and managed concessions logistics with on campus food service provider at athletics’ events. He administered all financial reporting and budgeting, oversaw all procurement and travel logistics planning for all 19 men’s and women’s sports and the overall department. He facilitated NCAA audit and EADA reporting and created financial budgets for NCAA Championship bids. He assisted in scheduling for key revenue generating sports. He also managed the Under Armour apparel contract for the Athletic Department. Prior to his arrival at Towson, Rae worked at Under Armour’s global headquarters in Baltimore, MD, serving as an FP&A manager of the North American Ecommerce business unit producing over $500M in revenue annually. He also served in roles in the respective Athletics’ Business Offices at the University of Texas at Austin and the College of William & Mary prior to that. Rae brings a strong background in finance and accounting with him, including the completion of his MBA from Loyola University Maryland in May 2019. Rae is a member of the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He was elected as 3rd Vice President of CABMA in the Summer of 2024 and currently serves as 2nd Vice President of CABMA.

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Stuart Sutton

Stuart Sutton, Ph.D., joined the VAF in August of 2025, as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Sutton oversees internal operations, integration across fundraising and engagement functions, and strategic execution to ensure alignment with VAF’s mission and goals. During his time at Syracuse, Sutton served as the Associate Athletic Director for Development and External Sales where he led a 14 person Sales & Service team through a 5-sport re-seat in the newly renovated JMA Wireless Dome, growing ticketing, premium seating, donations, and hospitality revenue year over year. As a part of the ’Cuse Athletics Fund leadership team, overall fundraising exceeded $50M with consecutive record-breaking years. The momentum was spearheaded by successfully closing out a $1.5 billion Forever Orange campus campaign in December 2024 with Athletics leading all campus units. Prior to that while at Wisconsin, he played a pivotal role in executing capital campaigns for two major football projects totaling $350 million and a $40 million basketball project. Sutton holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master’s in Sports Management from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Mississippi.

Allie Ware

Allie Ware joined the VAF in July of 2025 as the Chief of Staff, bringing over a decade of experience in college athletics development to UVA. Prior to Virginia, she most recently served as Deputy Athletic Director for Development at Georgia Southern University. A member of the Athletic Department’s Executive Staff, Ware supervised all athletic fundraising activity and led a team of eight, overseeing major gifts, premium seating, planned giving, annual fund programs, and served as a sport administrator for multiple sports. Prior to her stop at Georgia Southern, Ware held leadership roles at Mississippi State, Yale, the University of Richmond, and Mercer University. At each institution, she led successful capital projects, launched stewardship and alumni engagement initiatives, and significantly increased donor acquisition across multiple platforms. While at Yale, she co-founded the Yale Women’s Athletic Network and helped raise $5 million for women’s athletics endowments. Ware earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Richmond, where she was captain on the women’s lacrosse team. She also holds a master’s degree in Higher Educational Leadership from Mercer University and a Sports Industry Essentials Certificate from Columbia University. In 2017, she was the first female from her high school (Milton, Ga.) to be inducted into its Hall of Fame.

Barry Parkhill

Barry Parkhill was appointed the associate director of athletics for development in 1998. He previously served dual roles as director of alumni development for the UVA Alumni Association and director of capital projects for athletics. Parkhill’s first association with the University began in the fall of 1969 when he enrolled as a scholarship basketball player. From 1970-73, he established himself as one of the greatest all-purpose guards in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He was named the ACC Basketball Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year as a junior in 1972 after leading the conference in scoring. Virginia posted a 21-7 record that season and advanced to postseason play (NIT) for the second time in school history. The second player in school history to have his jersey number (#40) retired, Parkhill earned his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Virginia in 1973. He then played three seasons in the ABA, first with the Squires and later with the St. Louis Spirits. In the following years, Parkhill was the head basketball coach at The College of William and Mary (1984-87) and St. Michael’s College (1989-90). In between those two head coaching positions, he worked as a consultant with Blue Cross & Blue Shield Insurance Company.

Jessica

Jessica earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia in 2003. As an undergraduate student, she worked in the football office and following graduation, joined the VAF staff as a special events intern. In 2004, she assumed the role of special events assistant and a year later became the special events coordinator. Jessica oversees all suite sales, and her team is responsible for managing suite operations at Scott Stadium, Disharoon Park, and John Paul Jones Arena.

Drew Ossakow

Drew Ossakow joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in December of 2022. He is responsible for fundraising efforts in the New York City/Connecticut, Washington DC, and Baltimore regions. Prior to arriving on grounds, he worked at the University of Maryland as a Director of Development as a part of the athletics major gifts team. Before Ohio he worked at Indiana University as a Development Intern in the Varsity Club. A three-time letterwinner on the men’s swim team at Indiana University, Drew graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Kelley School of Business. He also earned his master’s in business administration and sports administration from Ohio University.

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Andrew Sadler

Andrew Sadler joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) in December 2023 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Annual Giving and Strategic Initiatives, previously serving as the director of annual giving. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day strategy and operations for the VAF’s annual giving program, including the Annual Fund, which raises funds annually to support current-use scholarships for Virginia’s athletics programs. Sadler supports the design, editorial process, and distribution of VAF marketing and communication across all channels. He serves as a key liaison with internal and external partners, including the Athletics Department, University External Affairs, and Paciolan. Sadler coordinates the Benefits and Development Committee for the VAF Board of Trustees. Sadler joined the VAF after spending five and a half years with the University of Georgia Athletic Association (UGAAA) and The Georgia Bulldog Club (TGBC). He began with TGBC in September 2019 and held various roles as an intern, graduate assistant, assistant director of development for annual giving, and associate director of development. Sadler provided robust operational support for the annual giving program that raised nearly $40 million per year. As part of the $300 million Commit to the G campaign, he partnered with Magill Society members to raise over $3 million to advance priorities for the University of Georgia and Georgia Athletics. Sadler was an integral team member in achieving then record fundraising totals of $101 million in FY23 and $86.4 million in FY22. He originally joined the UGAAA in August 2018 and worked as a Marketing and Sales Intern. Sadler administered the student internship program, supervising 22 undergraduate interns that generated over $20,000 in ticket revenue in partnership with IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions. Sadler began his career in collegiate athletics while pursuing his undergraduate degree, serving as a Lead Marketing Intern with Xavier University’s Athletics Department. In that role, he supported game-day operations, sponsorship fulfillment, giveaway distribution, and the execution of in-game promotions. He also served as a Building Supervisor at the Blue Ash Recreation Center and completed internships with ProCamps, Walnut Hills High School Athletics, and Cincinnati Public Schools Athletics. In 2018, he partnered with representatives from FC Cincinnati on a project focused on driving revenue and increasing attendance through single-game ticket sales. He received a Master of Science in Sport Management and Policy, as well as a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Georgia.

Schulman

In this role, he was responsible for growing fan, friend, and alumni engagement in critical local and national regions, including Tampa, the West Coast (California, Denver), greater-Chicagoland area, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. Schulman’s first trip to the Sunshine State was with the University of South Florida during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. A native of Milwaukee, WI, Schulman earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2012 and continued his educational career at Ohio University where he not only graduated with his MBA and Master of Sport Administration (MSA) in May 2015 but more importantly, went on to meet his future bride. Ryan and his wife, Carly, now reside in Crozet with their son, Easton.

Heather Troudt

Heather Troudt joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in September of 2002. She graduated in 1992 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As an undergraduate, Troudt competed for four years on the swimming team and was a two-time captain. She worked for the UNLV Athletic Department for eight years as a business office specialist and human resource coordinator.

Brad O’Brien

Brad O’Brien joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in September 2025 as the Director of Gift Documentation and Acknowledgment. In this role, he manages the documentation and acknowledgment of gifts, supporting accurate records and meaningful stewardship of VAF donors. Originally from Tennessee, Brad spent 11 years in Baltimore before relocating with his family to Charlottesville in 2024. He and his wife, Jena-Marie, live in Charlottesville with their four children. As a family, they love visiting local wineries and restaurants, spending time outdoors, and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding area.

Bill

Bill joined the Foundation team in March of 2022. Bill moved to Charlottesville in 1984 and attended Tandem Friends School. He then graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in philosophy with minors in religious studies and music. He began his advancement career in 2006 with the Office of Engagement, supporting UVA Clubs, Cavalier Travels, and L…

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